Universal design for learning in anatomy education of healthcare students: A scoping review

Abstract

In recent years, the hours dedicated to teaching anatomy through dissection and didactic lectures to students of medicine and allied health professions, in the physical university environment, has reduced due to the advancement of technology and competition with teaching time from other disciplines (Papa & Vaccarezza, 2013;Wong et al., 2020). Additionally, there are concerns among medical and dental practitioners about poor anatomical knowledge among recent healthcare graduates (Durham et al., 2009;Fillmore et al., 2016;Hagan & Jaffe, 2018). Moreover, there appears to be a paucity of published research concerning the anatomical knowledge of occupational therapy (OT) and speech and language therapy (SLT) graduates. Anatomy is one of the fundamental subjects in healthcare curricula and is considered indispensable for safe and effective practice (Smith et al., 2016). It is not only healthcare professionals that notice the inadequate anatomical knowledge among graduates, students themselves also recognize this. Students in the early stages of their medical degree have described anatomy as boring and relate it to learning off reams of factual information which demands

Awareness of Universal Design for Learning among anatomy educators in higher level institutions in the Republic of Ireland and United Kingdom

“…This suggests that educators are already incorporating elements of the UDL framework, albeit potentially unknown to themselves. A scoping review analyzing the design and delivery of anatomy curricula in healthcare programs in higher level institutions revealed that when designing curricula, educators may incorporate methods which align with the UDL framework, without explicitly stating that UDL was utilized (Dempsey et al, 2022 ). However, there are still a number of checkpoints which very few respondents of this study identified in their curriculum design.…”

“…Both of these teaching modalities have been identified as critical for students' anatomy learning experience (Farkas et al, 2016 ). Recent literature indicates that these traditional methods should not be used in isolation but rather alongside new innovative methods to enhance accessibility of learning material and to promote student engagement and interest in anatomy (Dempsey et al, 2022 ; Iwanaga, Loukas, et al, 2021 ; Lochner et al, 2016 ). For example, studies have identified that modern teaching strategies, such as gamification, virtual and augmented reality which align with multiple means of representation, result in similar levels of knowledge acquisition and collaborative activity as traditional methods (Moro et al, 2021 ; Rezende et al, 2020 ).…”

“…The UDL educational framework offers potential for enhancing students' engagement in anatomy learning in higher level institutions (Dempsey et al, 2022 ). Many of the teaching strategies incorporated into anatomy education during the pandemic are aligned with the UDL framework, although none of the studies (Byrnes et al, 2021 ; Harmon et al, 2021 ; Harrell et al, 2021 ) specifically mention that UDL underpinned the change in approaches to teaching anatomy.…”

“…Many of the teaching strategies incorporated into anatomy education during the pandemic are aligned with the UDL framework, although none of the studies (Byrnes et al, 2021 ; Harmon et al, 2021 ; Harrell et al, 2021 ) specifically mention that UDL underpinned the change in approaches to teaching anatomy. Although there is a lack of published research about the explicit utilization of UDL in anatomy education in general (Dempsey et al, 2022 ), it is considered an effective tool to enhance student learning of anatomy with a recognized need for multiple means of engagement, representation, action and expression. Research by Balta et al ( 2021 ) and Dempsey et al ( 2022 ) shows that anatomy educators currently, and perhaps unknowingly, use various teaching methods and strategies when designing their curricula including the use of technology in its many forms (Bell et al, 2019 ; Ruthberg et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Additionally, Murphy et al ( 2020 ) highlighted throughout their study that, as the student population in higher level institutions and student preferences for learning are becoming more diverse, UDL will become the key to ensuring that all occupational therapy students can be ready for effective clinical practice. Studies analyzing healthcare education in higher level institutions indicate that when designing curricula, educators may incorporate methods which align with the UDL framework, without explicitly stating that UDL was utilized (Dempsey et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, anatomy educators may be utilizing the UDL framework but may not have measured or published the impact of its utilization in healthcare programs.…”